UGG and BAPE put a G.O.A.T in Sheepskin

Does the name ‘Nigo’ ring a bell? How about BAPE? Since 1995, this Japanese-born fashion designer, DJ, and record producer has gifted us with the camouflage, gorilla logo streetwear worn by some on the greatest rappers and artists of all time. Nigo went from selling hoodies in a small store to befriending Kanye West and Pharrell according to Famousfashiondeisgners.org.

(LEFT TO RIGHT) Pharrell, Clipse, No Malice and Nigo

Ten years later, the Ape would be at the epicenter of one of hip hop’s greatest feuds between Clipse (Pusha T and No Malice) and Lil Wayne after Weezy was featured on the cover of Vibe Magazine wearing a pink BAPE hoodie. At the time, BAPE had been widely associated with Clipse which they must have thought gave them ownership of the signature style. The group fired back in their 2006 song Mr. Me Too featuring Pharrell and some pretty petty lyrics: “N*ggas bite the style from the shoes to the watches.” Lil Wayne responded later that year in a Complex interview with, “Who the f*ck is Pharrell? Do you really respect him? That n*gga wore BAPEs and y’all thought it was weird. I wore it and y’all thought it was hot.”

Weezy is the captain now!

This brings us to the present day collab with the G.O.A.T and BAPE. Back in September 2018 during the labels 25th anniversary held in Tokyo, insiders got first looks at the capsule that featured Southern-Cali based footwear and clothing manufacturer UGG. It wasn’t until April 24th that a release date for the merch was announced: April 27th. BAPE’s IG (@bape_us) account dropped a small visual hashtag UGGxBAPE. Click on the hashtag and you see Lil Wayne, aka The GOAT, draped in beige-fur lined sneakers, slides, and mittens.

Via Instagram

Via Instagram

Many followers have questioned the timing of the release due to the simple fact Spring and sheepskins don’t usually go hand-in-hand, but if you’re a true fashionista, you’ll know it’s ok to break the rules every now and then.